Hamptons Observatory Virtual Lecture: “The First Science from the Vera Rubin Observatory”

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On October 9, at 7:00 PM, ET, Hamptons Observatory and co-host Suffolk County Community College will present a free, virtual lecture by Dr. Charles Liu, a professor of astrophysics at the College of Staten Island, the president of the Astronomical Society of NY, a popular podcaster and author of 11 books on astronomy and science. Dr. Liu will talk about the newest international earth-based astrophysical facility, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, and how you can be involved in its mission to explore and understand some of the Universe’s biggest mysteries. Details and registration information may be found on https://HamptonsObservatory.org

Registration is required for this free, virtual lecture: https://bit.ly/VeraRubinObservatoryTalk

The NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Northern Chile is the newest international astrophysical facility: it had its “first light” on June 23, 2025. It can gather more data in one night than all other earthbound telescopes put together. A number of groundbreaking observations have already been obtained with this amazing telescope: in its first 10 hours of test observations, it captured millions of galaxies and Milky Way stars, and thousands of asteroids; this imagery is just a small preview of its mission to explore and understand some of the Universe’s biggest mysteries. In this lecture you will learn about its technology, its capabilities, and the first scientific work astronomers have already done using it. You’ll also find out how you can be part of the observatory’s 10 year science mission, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time.

Charles Liu is a professor of astrophysics at the City University of New York’s College of Staten Island, an Associate with the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History, and president of the Astronomical Society of New York. His research focuses on starburst galaxies, supermassive black holes, and the star formation history of the universe. In 1998, he joined the Hayden Planetarium’s scientific staff, where he helped develop and design exhibits and the scientific content of the Rose Center for Earth and Space. In 2020, Dr. Liu was named a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and, in 2024, he was awarded the AAS Education prize, which celebrated his national and international impact as an astronomy educator. Dr. Liu is host of the podcast, “The LiUniverse with Dr. Charles Liu,” which is in its fifth season, and has been a frequent guest on Neil deGrasse Tyson’s podcast, “StarTalk.” In addition to his research publications, Dr. Liu has published eleven popular books about astronomy and science, most recently, “The Handy Quantum Physics Answer Book” and “The Cosmos Explained”; he, Robert W. Irion and Neil deGrasse Tyson were awarded the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award for their book, “One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos.”